ImpactAssets Celebrates 15 Years of the IA 50, Highlighting the Evolution and Ongoing Growth of Impact Investing

[Brunswick, Maine – March 10, 2026] – Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is pleased to announce their inclusion in this year’s ImpactAssets 50® (IA 50), the definitive guide to impact investing fund managers globally. Launched in 2011 by ImpactAssets, the IA 50 has grown into the most recognized and respected list of fund managers in the impact investing sector.

The IA 50 is a publicly available database of private impact investment managers. As a leading, curated resource for investors and advisors, the IA 50 highlights fund managers delivering demonstrable social and environmental impact, setting the standard for uncovering opportunities across private markets.

The 2026 IA 50 includes three categories: the core list of fund managers, an Emerging Impact Managers list and the list of Emeritus Managers comprising managers who have been on the list for more than five years.  CEI has been named to the core list alongside regional peers and fellow Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), including Boston Impact Initiative, the Cooperative Fund of Northeast and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC); as well as national and global investors like Calvert Impact, Root Capital and BlueHub Capital.

CEI is the first Maine-based firm to be named to the list.

CEI’s impact fund management activity is centered on CEI Investment Notes, an investment note product offered to accredited investors. Since the product’s inception, CEI has raised over $21 million in CEI Investment Notes to support its work lending affordable capital to entrepreneurs and businesses who have been overlooked by traditional financial institutions. CEI Investment Note-supported loans range from a few thousand to several million dollars, serving a diverse array of sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, clean energy, food production and distribution, housing development, and child care.

Information about CEI’s investment products is available to accredited investors and wealth managers by contacting CEI’s Chief Lending & Investment Officer, Kelsie Bouchard.

“The CEI Investment Note is a cornerstone of our ability to raise and deploy diverse, mission‑aligned capital in support of economic mobility, the creation of good jobs, and a more equitable and resilient future,” said Kelsie Bouchard, Chief Lending & Investment Officer at CEI. “Our recognition on the IA 50 reflects the sophistication of our capital structure, the strength of our strategy, and our long history of delivering measurable impact for people and communities across Maine. CEI will celebrate its 50th year of impact in 2027, and we anticipate the CEI Investment Note will continue to be a key driver of our work in the fifty years to come.”

“Over the past 15 years, impact investing has evolved into a sophisticated global marketplace,” said Jed Emerson, Founder of Blended Value Group and Chair of the IA 50 Review Committee. “The depth, scale and diversity represented in today’s IA 50 demonstrates that impact investing is now a core investment strategy — one that brings together a wide range of asset classes, geographies and investment themes to drive measurable change.”

Among those included in this year’s showcase, 52% concentrate their efforts domestically, within the United States. Social impact strategies continue to lead, with 58% of fund managers primarily targeting financial and economic inclusion, community development, affordable housing, and health and wellbeing. Environmental strategies also represent a significant share of the field, as 34% of fund managers focus primarily on energy, clean technology and decarbonization. Together, the 2026 IA 50 fund managers deployed nearly $17 billion towards impact in just a year.

“Across the IA 50, we see sustained investor commitment to affordability and economic development strategies that strengthen communities and expand access to opportunity,” said Margret Trilli, CEO and CIO of ImpactAssets and ImpactAssets Capital Partners. “From affordable housing and community development to capital for small businesses and underrepresented entrepreneurs, these managers are directing capital where it can help build an inclusive economy while delivering competitive financial returns. That alignment between impact and performance is what continues to drive momentum in the market.”

A practitioner and leader in the impact investing market, ImpactAssets brings a unique vantage point to the IA 50. Its experience and scale of private market investments, as well as institutional expertise in evaluating fund managers for clients and its investment platform, continue to be integral to the analytical framework that underpins the IA 50. 

Selections are made by an independent IA 50 Review Committee of 13 globally recognized industry leaders, following a rigorous, multi-stage process that leverages both qualitative and quantitative analysis led by ImpactAssets Capital Partners. The IA 50 Review Committee makes the final selection, ensuring the analysis adheres to a structured framework of fairness, rigor and objectivity. All selected firms must demonstrate a track record in impact investing, clear impact objectives, and U.S. investor accessibility.

“The steady expansion of the IA 50, along with an increase in investment professionals across underrepresented groups and continued strengthening of impact practices, signals a market that is growing with discipline and integrity,” said Cynthia Muller, IA 50 Review Committee member and Director of Mission Investment at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

When the first IA 50 was introduced in 2011, the 50 selected fund managers collectively represented

$8.9 billion in assets under management (AUM), and no manager on the list had more than $500 million in assets. Fifteen years later, the IA 50 reflects a dramatically expanded and increasingly institutionalized marketplace. In 2026, managers across the IA 50, Emerging Impact Managers and Emeritus Managers lists represent a combined $202 billion in assets, showcasing the accelerating scale of impact investing.

The impact investing industry continues to mature, emerging from a niche practice 15 years ago to a more mainstream investing approach today. In 2026, 32 firms on the IA 50 reported AUM exceeding $1 billion, compared to 24 in 2025 and 18 in 2024. More than half of all firms included have been operating for over a decade.

“The IA 50 reflects both how far the industry has come and where it is heading,” added Trilli. “Through our extensive work within the impact investing sector – including deep engagement in private markets — we have seen continued growth in assets, stronger impact measurement practices, and more expansive impact focus areas from both established and emerging managers. The field has matured significantly, and the IA 50 continues to provide investors with a trusted resource in this evolving marketplace.”

The full IA 50 database is available at impactassets.org/IA-50.

About the ImpactAssets 50 

ImpactAssets 50® (IA 50) is the definitive guide to impact investing fund managers globally. The publicly available database is composed of experienced and emerging private debt and equity impact investment fund managers committed to generating positive impact. The IA 50 2025 reflects the innovation and exponential growth of impact investing that the IA 50 has helped to spotlight over last 15 years.  

The IA 50 is not an index or investable platform and does not constitute an offering or solicitation to buy or sell securities or a private placement, or recommend specific products. Nor is this an endorsement of any of the listed fund managers. It is not a replacement for due diligence. Additional details on the selection process are available here. 

About CEI

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is a Community Development Financial Institution and 501(c)3 nonprofit impact investor that works to build a more equitable economy by growing good jobs, livelihoods and small business ownership in Maine and rural regions, while advancing a just transition to a climate-resilient future. CEI integrates finance, business expertise, and policy solutions in ways that make the economy work more equitably.  

About ImpactAssets

ImpactAssets is an impact investing trailblazer dedicated to changing the trajectory of the planet’s future and improving the lives of all people. As a leading impact investing firm, ImpactAssets offers deep strategic expertise to help its clients define and execute on their impact goals. Founded in 2010, ImpactAssets increases flows of money to impact investing in partnership with its clients through its impact investment platform, philanthropic solutions, and field-building initiatives, including the IA 50 database of private debt and equity impact fund managers. ImpactAssets has more than $5 billion in assets, working with purpose-driven individuals and their wealth managers, family offices, foundations and corporations. ImpactAssets is an independent 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at www.impactassets.org

About ImpactAssets Capital Partners 

ImpactAssets Capital Partners (IA Capital) is an SEC-registered investment adviser specializing in impact investing for institutional investors, including foundations, corporations, and family offices. IA Capital offers a full range of custom services, including investment and impact strategy design, sourcing and origination, due diligence, portfolio construction, monitoring, risk management, and reporting. IA Capital also structures and manages bespoke fund vehicles for aligned investor cohorts, providing support from mandate design and formation to capital raising, deployment, and administration. As a subsidiary of its non-profit parent entity, ImpactAssets, IA Capital works across both market-rate and impact-first investing approaches to help clients align capital with mission.